1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic document feeding apparatus, which is attached to an image forming apparatus, such as an electronic copying apparatus, having an interruption copy mode function, and automatically feeds documents onto a document table.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern versions of practical image forming apparatuses are provided with an automatic document feeding apparatus (ADF), in which a plurality of documents collectively held on a document feeder tray are picked up and fed one after another to a document table, and are discharged from the document table after undergoing exposure scanning.
Conventionally, the ADF, which is attached to one such image forming apparatus having an interruption copy mode function, is arranged so that a document in an exposure region on the document table is automatically discharged to a document receiving section when an interruption copy mode is selected during operation.
In restarting the interrupted copying operation by using the ADF after the interruption copying is finished, the document discharged to the document receiving section is returned to the document feeder tray to be resupplied for copying.
Thus, according to the conventional ADF, the document on the document table is automatically discharged to the document receiving section when the interruption copy mode is selected during the use of the ADF. In resuming the interrupted operation by means of the ADF after the end of the interruption copying, the discharged document must be manually returned to the document feeder tray.
In a type such that the documents set on the document feeder tray are successively taken out from the bottom side, in particular, the document recovered from the document receiving section should be inserted into the bottom portion of the tray so that the copying sequence is maintained. In order to restore the recovered document securely, therefore, the set documents must be removed from the feeder tray to allow the recovered document to be slid properly under the stack, and then reset in place.
Thus, restoring the recovered document is so troublesome that it is a long time before the copying operation is allowed to be restarted, and moreover, the manual resetting is liable to cause errors in delivery.